The glory of compromise
by David Atkins
For a moment last year, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan’s star shone brightly as he unveiled his party’s bold deficit-whacking budget proposal — that is, until seniors rebelled over his plan to dramatically change Medicare.
The backlash was swift and decisive. Democrats attacked the GOP, saying the plan would destroy the Medicare safety net, and the earnest Wisconsin wunderkind slid from the spotlight. When he walked the halls of the Capitol, he popped in his iPod earbuds, tuning out the noise.
Now Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman, is returning to center stage as the GOP doubles down on his conservative budget priorities — including tax cuts for the wealthy and a new version of his plan for major changes in Medicare.
With an edgy new campaign-style video and a flurry of Ryan appearances timed with his upcoming budget release, Republicans believe theirs is a winning strategy: one that will showcase the GOP as willing to make tough choices to reduce federal deficits and present voters with a contrast to President Obama. Democrats believe just as strongly that the Ryan strategy will be a winner for them.
Perhaps Jackie Calmes at the New York Times can remind us again how this is all President Obama’s fault for hurting Paul Ryan’s feelings.
It will be an interesting election. The GOP is willing to take quite unpopular positions (being against birth control and in favor of privatizing Medicare, for instance) in order to establish policy contrasts with the President. Meanwhile, the President is at pains to mute the policy contrasts in order to present himself as a contrast in style with the Republicans. The compromiser in a room full of ideologues.
Aside from, you know, the actual policy consequences of not standing firm against conservative craziness, there’s also the fact that being the compromiser in a room of supposed ideologues only works if the press is willing to cooperate in accurately painting that portrait. I for one would be wary of leaving my electoral future in the hands of David Brooks and Jackie Calmes.
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